Chinese New Year blessings
Sunday February 14, 2010
Chinese New Year is a festival that ushers in new energy and transformation. It falls on the first day of the first month of the Chinese year, a new moon, which is on February 14 of the western calendar this year (last year it was January 26, and next year it will fall on February 3). Absorb the day’s energy by:
* Celebrating New Year’s Eve with a family dinner that honours the ancestors and gives thanks for your blessings. At midnight open all your windows and doors to allow the old year to depart. Firecrackers are often lit to send off the old year and bring in the new.
* On New Year’s Day, wear red, which is considered a bright, joyful colour that attracts success and good fortune. Orange or gold hues are also popular, representing wealth and happiness.
* Having a plant or flowers in the house to symbolise rebirth and new growth and bring prosperity and wealth. Plum blossoms and water lilies are particularly auspicious, representing hope and new vitality.
* Displaying a bowl of oranges and tangerines, which represent good health, long life and abundant happiness, and are given to friends as a sign of security and love. Or have a circular tray of candies, which symbolises sweetness and togetherness.
* Creating a lai see, or lucky money envelope, to give to children and close friends. Traditionally a crisp dollar bill was placed in the red envelope as a token of good luck and blessing.
Say: ‘Gong Xi Fa Cai!’, which means ‘Wishing you prosperity and wealth’ in Mandarin.
Sweep out the old
To prepare for Chinese New Year, spring clean your house in the week leading up to it. Throw out any reminders of the old year to make space for the good fortune of the new year to enter. This is a key feng shui principle, believed to revitalise you emotionally and physically. Sweep the house to sweep out any negative energy, then put your brooms, brushes and cleaning products away so no good luck or fortune is swept out on New Year’s Day. No cleaning should be done on this day, and you shouldn’t even wash your hair as it’s believed to wash away luck. In preparation for the new year you should also pay your debts, resolve any conflicts and prepare yourself mentally to welcome in a new phase of your life.
Wishing you well
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